Zoro x Luffy One Shots
by HeartQueenVivaldi
Summary: This is a collection of One shots about Zoro and Luffy. Updates will be random, and requests accepted. Anything goes as long as it fits in the "teen" rating. Anything of a rating higher than that will be posted separately. Enjoy!
1. Can I Pick

**Hey Guys! HQV here with something a little different and new. I know I should just finish what I've started before starting something new, but I just couldn't help it. Anyways, this is a series of one-shots about Luffy and Zoro. If they tie together I will let you know, but they don't necessarily connect. They will mostly be pretty random. They can range from sad, to goofy, to completely surreal and kind of strange. Also, if you have a request, I will happily take it. Just PM me, or drop a review with your request, and I will do my best to create something to your liking. Last thing, a few chapters might have triggers in them, so I will put trigger warnings before each individual chapter. Love you guys! Enjoy! ~HeartQueenVivaldi**

**Trigger Warning: tooth rotting fluff :)**

Can I Pick?

"Ack! Luffy!" Zoro cried out as he was caught in Luffy's sling-shot onto the island they had just anchored by. The captain laughed boisterously with Zoro in his strong, very capable and stretchy arms, and gum-gum ballooned just before they crashed into the hard ground.

Zoro sucked in huge breaths and tried to stop himself from puking. No matter how many times Luffy pulled stunts like that, expected or unexpected, Zoro never got used to it. He breathed heavily as he addressed his captain, "Why… did you do that?" He paused, still trying to not loose the lunch he had just eaten minutes before. "Damn it, Luffy. What the hell?!"

Luffy just continued to laugh, now back to his normal size and shape after becoming a rubber balloon. "I did it on purpose, Zoro! Look! We're alone!"

Zoro turned a full circle, and sure enough, they were alone for the first time in days. "Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge."

"Can I pick?" Luffy asked innocently with his head cocked to the side a little.

The swordsman looked down at him with a raised brow, "Sure, whatever. Go ahead."

Luffy laughed again and made his choice. "Then I want a kiss! Kiss me, Zoro!"

Zoro couldn't help but chuckle a little at Luffy's child-like innocence and took a step toward his captain. He pulled the younger pirate closer with a hand around his waist and lifted his chin up to look in his eyes. "Aye, Captain."


	2. Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy

Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji fought harder than they had fought in a long time. They had become used to fighting only a few stronger guys at once, due to them mostly fighting other pirate crews in the New World, but now they were fighting a giant mass of marines. It wasn't necessarily difficult to fight them, as they were all pretty weak, but there were just so many.

They were in this situation because of Zoro. The monster trio had unwittingly ended up following Zoro through the maze of the marine base they had broken into, because they needed some map for an adventure Luffy wanted to go on. They were caught rather quickly, and the entire crew was sent running in different directions. Eventually Luffy got tired of running, and wanted to fight, so when he stopped, Zoro and Sanji had no choice but to stop with him.

They were soon surrounded by marines, back to back, on the defensive. It was at this point that Zoro decided to ask, "So what's our exit strategy, captain?"

Luffy turned his head to look at Zoro, fists still raised and ready for a fight. "Our what?"

Zoro just about turned around to slice up his captain and claim the reward on his head, but restrained himself, and groaned instead. "Oh, God. We're all going to die."

Sanji turned to yell at Luffy, "You mean to tell me you turned to fight with no plan?! We could have kept running and found a way back to the ship!"

"But I was bored of running!" Luffy whined as a few more soldiers advanced on them. They were back to fighting for their lives.

Eventually, Sanji spotted a gap in the wall of soldiers, so he grabbed Luffy's stretched out arm, and yelled at Zoro to follow. The trio ran back the way they came, Luffy complaining whiled being dragged along by Sanji. The cook finally convinced Luffy to run on his own, and when he did they were much faster.

They looked behind them to see the marines hot on their tail. "This is really getting annoying." Zoro exclaimed as they ran. "If they don't stop we'll never get off this island."

Luffy stopped running again, skidding to a halt. Zoro and Sanji turned to yell at him, but quickly realized their captain had gotten serious about this. They felt a great surge of energy and power and watched as a large majority of the marines fell to the floor. The few that were left standing were trembling and looked rather weak, not daring to move, and not knowing what had just happened to their fellow soldiers.

Luffy turned back to Zoro and Sanji, chuckling. Zoro smiled a little. "I seem to forget that you can do that. It's quite useful."

Sanji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but why didn't you use it earlier?"

Luffy responded with a laugh and said, "because I wanted to fight! Where's the fun in always using Haki on everyone?"

Zoro and Sanji just gaped at their captain, who had a smile still plastered on his face and was laughing through his teeth. "You're going to be the death of us," Sanji and Zoro said in unison.

Around the corner they could hear footsteps running towards them. The rest of the crew passed by moments later, led by Nami holding up the map. As she ran by she yelled, "Hey, we got the map, so let's get out of here!"

The monster trio ran down the hall to catch up, and the entire crew made it back safely onto the Sunny with Nami's guidance. They set sail with smiles on their faces and Berry symbols in Nami's eyes as she looked over the treasure map on Sunny's deck.


	3. Lean on Me

**Small trigger warning, and I'm not even sure it counts, but Luffy is really depressed in this one and mentions giving up, which could be taken in many different ways.**

Lean on Me

The crew arrived at the hotel they would be staying at in their time on Water 7 until they were able to get a new ship from the guys at Galley La. Nami paid for three rooms, one for herself and Robin (even if the dark-haired woman still hadn't returned. It had been done in hopes that she would soon), one for Sanji and Chopper, and the last for Luffy and Zoro. She gave them all keys to their rooms, and surprisingly, Luffy took his and walked away quietly and alone. The rest of the crew watched after their usually boisterous captain with sadness in their eyes, for Usopp, for Merry, and for the decisions their captain had to make that day.

Zoro debated leaving Luffy alone for the night and staying in the room with Sanji and Chopper, but decided against it in the end, and followed his captain. Luffy needed him, even if he didn't say it, or want it.

When he arrived at their shared room, Zoro entered to see Luffy already laying on his side on the bed farthest from the door. He could hear quiet sniffling, so he approached the bed, so he could see his captain's face. Large tears rolled down the teen's face, wetting the pillow beneath him as he cried for his losses. Zoro knelt down in front of his strong captain, the strongest he could have asked for, and not just physically, to wipe the tears from his cheeks and nose.

Luffy sat up suddenly, and Zoro rose from his knees to sit next to Luffy on the edge of the bed. He pulled the younger man into his lap and Luffy could no longer hold back. He sobbed into his first mate's chest, letting out every ounce of what he had held back for the last few hours.

Soon he calmed down just enough to speak and mumbled into Zoro's neck, "Why does being the captain have to be so hard?"

Zoro held Luffy tighter at those words. "I know it's hard, but we need you to be strong. If you aren't firm, if you aren't our rock, then how can the rest of us possibly stand? Where does a crew turn if not to their captain?"

"I know, Zoro. I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"No, but if it helps, I'm your first mate. You can always lean on me. You can share the load with me, and I will gladly help you carry it. I will always have your back and take your side. I will always be here for you, just like this." He held on a little tighter, and Luffy felt as if Zoro's embrace was the only thing holding him together. He held on tight, afraid that if they were to let go, Luffy would fall apart.

"Sometimes I feel like it would be better to just give up," Luffy whispered into Zoro's neck, and the older pirate barely caught those words. "I feel that right now. I want to go home."

Zoro sighed, "And I want to go to the moon. It ain't happening sweetheart. Time to accept that." He could feel Luffy start to tremble again, and didn't want to see him cry again, but knew it was inevitable, so kept talking softly, "I don't want to see you give up, Luffy. You've made it so far already. I won't let you quit now because someone else couldn't handle the hardships of being a pirate. Keep going, Luffy, and be strong for those of us who remain in your crew. Those of us who are here and have stuck with you through all of this shit will follow you to the ends of the earth, even into death."

"I don't want anyone to die, Zoro. Why do I feel like I'm leading you all to a certain death?" Luffy murmured into Zoro's shirt, not sure if Zoro even heard or understood him.

But Zoro heard every word in the quiet room. "Do you think we worry too much about that, Luffy? We follow you because our dreams line up with your own, honestly insane and far-reaching one. If any one of us die, it will be fighting for our own dream as well as yours. You aren't forcing anyone to go with you, we go because we want to. If we weren't following you, we would be following someone else, and we trust you to lead us right. You are the best captain any one of us could ask for, and tonight more than proves that. You made two decisions today that none of the rest of us could have made. Many of your crew, in fact, all of your crew knew you made the right decision, they just didn't want to have to make it themselves or on their own."

Luffy started crying again. "Maybe I made two right decision, but I have a third to make, and soon." Zoro sat silently with Luffy in his arms, waiting for him to explain. "Robin is missing. I don't know why, but I feel like she left on purpose, and by choice. Do we let her leave, or try to find her?

Zoro sighed, pulling away to rest his forehead on Luffy's. Luffy adjusted his position, so he was now straddling Zoro's hips, with his legs wrapped securely behind his first mate, their chests were almost touching, and his arms were wrapped around Zoro's shoulders. He buried his face in Zoro's neck to just breathe in the scent of his first mate.

"Whatever you choose, Luffy, I will follow you and support you. I always will."

"Thank you, Zoro." The swordsman squeezed Luffy tighter to him, not saying any more. They stayed like that for a long time, Luffy crying on and off occasionally. In those moments it was just the two of them. They didn't notice when Nami walked in the room and left again quickly after seeing them like that, or when Chopper could be heard crying loudly in the room next to their own.

Finally, after nearly two hours, Luffy sat up straighter and unwound himself a little from Zoro's embrace, but still didn't leave his lap. He still wanted Zoro close. The swordsman knew this and let Luffy do as he pleased, keeping his hands on the younger's hips.

Luffy looked into Zoro's eyes, a seriousness in his own that Zoro had never seen before. He put his hands on either side of Zoro's face, and his left thumb lightly brushed against three gold earrings that jingled softly at the touch. He could feel the softness of Zoro's green hair with his fingertips and wanted to feel more. His hands moved to the back of Zoro's head, and Zoro's eyes closed in pleasure and his head leaned into Luffy's touch at the feeling of Luffy's hands running through his hair and his fingertips massaging his scalp, then down to his neck.

When Zoro opened his eyes again he was met with Luffy's chocolate brown orbs staring back at him. His green eyes flickered to Luffy's lips and back up to his eyes. Luffy noticed it but didn't say anything. He leaned in closer, but didn't let their lips touch, waiting for Zoro to make the next move.

Zoro sighed Luffy's name, and that was all the captain needed. He captured Zoro's lips in a passionate, but chaste kiss, because that's just how Luffy was: passionate, yet innocent. Zoro responded with just as much passion, but he found himself to be not so innocent in his own way of doing things. He opened his mouth slightly, and Luffy froze for a second, probably confused at what his first mate was doing, but eventually understood when Zoro ran his tongue along Luffy's bottom lip. He opened his mouth, too, and Zoro's tongue plunged into his mouth and ran along sharp teeth, normally accustomed to tearing into slabs of meat, then to the roof of his mouth. After that he coaxed Luffy's own tongue into his own mouth.

Luffy tried to copy Zoro's actions and explored Zoro's mouth with his own tongue. When the younger started to pull away, Zoro followed, denying him the separation by catching Luffy's lip between his teeth. Only after one more, quick peck on the lips did Zoro let Luffy pull away.

Both men took a few deep breaths after their passionate kiss and Luffy looked shyly up into Zoro's eyes again. He found nothing in those green eyes but acceptance and understanding. He sighed in relief and resumed his previous position, acting as a koala and Zoro as the tree. "Thank you, Zoro."

Zoro smiled into Luffy's hair, "Any time, Captain." Little did they know, this would be only the first of many nights like this still to come.


	4. Teasing

**I figured it was time to add in a little Trafalgar Law action, just to make Zoro jealous. Enjoy!**

Teasing

Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates sat on the deck of the Thousand Sunny talking to a very energetic rubber man one day while there was no wind. Because there was no wind, there was also no excitement to be had on this peaceful day, which is bad for a certain straw hat wearing captain.

Luffy was bored. Law was talking about some plan or another that he didn't really get anyways, so he was only half listening to his fellow captain. There were heart pirates scattered across the two ships, mingling with Luffy's own crew. He could see his green-haired, one-eyed boyfriend on the other side of the grassy deck, leaning against the railing with his swords resting on his shoulder, and his one good eye closed, probably sleeping.

You see, when Luffy is bored, it doesn't always turn out very well. He started to completely tune out the dark-haired captain completely as he came up with a plan to ease his boredom. He decided on making Zoro jealous. It would be fun. He started out his plan by turning back to his fellow captain and asking him a question, cutting off whatever it was the other man was saying, "It's hot out here. Do you want a popsicle?"

Law raised an eyebrow in question but went along with whatever it was Luffy was up to. "Sure, that sounds good."

Luffy grinned in his typical Luffy way and took off, "I'll be right back!" He yelled behind him as he flung himself up onto the deck by the kitchen where Sanji was making lunch.

The blond turned around when he heard the door open behind him and sent his captain a heated glare. "Lunch isn't ready yet, Luffy. Get out."

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed and approached the kitchen anyways. "I'm just getting a couple of popsicles for me and Torao. I'm not here to steal food."

Sanji looked skeptical, but gave in quickly, "Fine. They're in the freezer on the top shelf."

Luffy laughed again, opened the freezer, retrieved two popsicles and nothing else, and walked away toward the galley door leading outside. Sanji found it odd that Luffy didn't try to steal any other food but shrugged it off and went back to chopping potatoes for their lunch.

Luffy sat back down by Law when he returned to the deck and handed the other captain one of the blue-colored frozen treats. Rather than eating the entire popsicle in one bite like he normally would, Luffy resisted and licked up one side of the rectangular treat, then put half of it in his mouth and pulled it back out slowly. The rubber man could see Law watching him from the corner of his eye, so laid it on thicker, hiding his excitement by putting the whole thing in his mouth and repeating his previous actions a few more times. He glanced up briefly to see Zoro's one good eye open, also watching him.

Luffy hid his smirk behind his popsicle, and licked up the side again, making a show of it. He could be devious if he really wanted to be. He wasn't so innocent any more, not since he started dating Zoro. He turned to Law with an innocent smile and exclaimed, "This is really good! Is yours as good as mine?"

Law swallowed thickly and stuttered out a response. "U… umm… they're, uh… they're the same, Straw Hat-ya." He hadn't even touched his own popsicle yet.

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked innocently and took hold of Law's hand that was still holding the untouched popsicle. He brought the hand slowly closer to himself and held the slowly-melting treat to his lips to suck lightly on the end. He got braver and put the whole thing in his mouth the same way he had done with his own and slowly pulled it back out. Law gulped at the sight of his fellow captain doing something like that so close to him, and he could feel a slight bulge growing in his pants. Why did Luffy have to look so innocent while doing something so vulgar?

Luffy pulled away, but only a little. "Yeah, yours is better." He stated and leaned in again to lick the corner of the popsicle again. Luffy looked so delicious like that, Law wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss those delicious lips and suck the accumulating sugary liquid off of the younger lips. When Luffy's eyes met with his own he almost followed through with it.

The only thing stopping him was the shadow that was suddenly looming over the two of them. The pair looked up to see Zoro glaring down at them, or more specifically, at Law. He looked pissed, and he made Law rather nervous. The swordsman spoke down to the surgeon, "Keep your hands to yourself. He's mine."

Luffy laughed next to Law, but he stopped when Zoro's glare was redirected towards him. "And you. What do you think you're doing?"

Luffy cowered for a moment before answering, "I was bored and wanted to make Zoro jealous! It worked!" Luffy smiled up at Zoro and Law gaped at them.

"You have some real nerve, Straw Hat-ya." Law got up and walked away, headed back to his own ship.

Zoro looked back down at Luffy, and Luffy looked up at him. Zoro scowled and pulled Luffy to his feet, who quickly shoved both popsicles into his mouth to eat them both in one big bite. The swordsman dragged his captain along as he spoke. "Come on. You're going to make it up to me for teasing me like that." Luffy just laughed as Zoro pulled him along to the captain's quarters that were used for only one purpose, and it wasn't sleeping.


	5. It's Not Okay

**Trigger Warning: Mentions of multiple Character deaths, and also, spoilers for Marineford and the two year time skip. If you haven't seen that far, do not continue reading! You will hate yourself if you do, I promise!**

It's not okay

Two years. That's how long it had been since Luffy had seen his crew, or his green-haired swordsman that doubled as his boyfriend. He was beyond excited as he walked through Sabaody toward his ship, the Thousand Sunny. He was told to stay under cover by Boa Hancock, but of course, that didn't last long. Before he knew it, he was being chased by Navy soldiers and Pacifistas. At least they were easy to beat now with his newfound powers and strength.

Raleigh helped him, Zoro and Sanji escape, and Luffy had his chance to say a quick goodbye. Then, much to his excitement, he was back on the Sunny with his crew again. They descended as quickly as they could once Luffy said a few words, and they were on their way to fishman island.

Once they were safely descending into the ocean, away from the cannon fire, the crew finally had a chance for a proper hello and group hug. They decided to catch up a little by telling each other a little about their adventures in their time apart, including where they went, and some of the things they learned. They all told a little something except for Robin, who decided to keep it to herself for the time being. They all had interesting stories, though some of them were stranger than others. They kept the stories short, and they laughed and joked until they got to Luffy.

Everyone seemed to look at him with pity, and he knew why. They all knew about Ace. They felt sorry for him. They shared condolences. Luffy was fine, still able to smile, until Chopper, unknowing what it would do, said, "It's going to be okay, Luffy." Many other crew members repeated the phrase, except Robin and Zoro.

Luffy, suddenly upset, left the deck and found comfort in the solitude of the practically unused captain's quarters. He threw himself onto the bed face-down, and not long after, Zoro came in and sat next to Luffy, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Luffy." He called quietly.

Luffy grunted in response.

"Luffy, what's wrong? You were fine talking about Ace until just a few minutes ago." Luffy still didn't answer, so Zoro kept talking. "Luffy, if this is about Ace, it's…"

Luffy sat up suddenly, startling Zoro and glaring at him. "Don't." Zoro raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude. "Tell me I'm going to die. Tell me the sun is going to explode. Tell me the world is ending and there's nothing I can do about it, because if I hear 'it's going to be okay' one more time I will scream."

Zoro didn't respond, because he didn't know what to say. What could he say to that? He had nothing, so he just stayed quiet, letting Luffy continue. "I hate that phrase. I've heard it a lot. Ace hated it, too. When our other brother died it was like that was all people were able to say, and Ace and I grew to hate it. It doesn't mean anything. If you're going to say something to someone who has just been through hell, don't make it that. It's cliché, stupid, and meaningless, and even if it did have any meaning, it doesn't help. All it does is tell that person that it isn't okay now. But that's not it. It may never really be okay. It's not okay that my brother had to die at only 20 years old. That's not okay, and it never will be. Ace barely started to live his life, and it's already over. That's not okay. I may come to accept his death, and in many ways, I already have, but I will never be okay with it, Zoro. Never. It's not okay. It won't ever be okay."

Zoro just stared at Luffy in stunned silence for a long time. After a few minutes Zoro was finally able to collect his thoughts enough to say something. He sighed, "You know more about death and sorrow than most of us combined, I think. I don't know what to say. Maybe that's why people say that, I don't know. So, I'll say this instead: I'm here for you. I actually mean that, Luffy. I've told you before, I will always be here to help and support you, Captain. As your first mate, your best friend, or your boyfriend. Whatever version of me you need, I'll be there. I promise. Always."

Luffy nodded and sighed in relief. "Thank you, Zoro. I know you will be." The captain assumed his usual position in Zoro's lap, clinging to his older boyfriend like he was a koala, and Zoro the tree. He was glad to have Zoro back after two years. He missed the talks, the hugs, and the kisses. He hoped they would never have to separate again.


	6. Strategy?

**Hey there! So, in this one I decided to play with the idea of a secretly smart Luffy. I know it's out of character, but I thought it would be kinda funny. Happy Reading! ~HeartQueenVivaldi**

Strategy?

Zoro and Luffy sat on the deck of the Sunny, enjoying a peaceful afternoon and sharing a dessert that Sanji had made for them. The rest of the crew ignored them as they stole kisses and teased each other while feeding each other bites of the dessert, which was Zoro's idea to keep his boyfriend from eating the whole thing in one bite. Luffy giggled as Zoro kissed his nose then licked some ice cream from the corner of his mouth.

Zoro chuckled as Luffy blushed a little. They continued this way for a long time before they were interrupted by Nami on the upper Deck. "Pirates ahead! All hands ready for battle!" She yelled over to them.

Zoro and Luffy were on their feet in an instant, dessert forgotten, Luffy flinging himself up onto the deck with Nami using his devil fruit, Zoro not far behind, headed there by foot, taking the stairs three at a time. He arrived only seconds after Luffy did.

"Who is it?" Luffy asked Nami anxiously.

The navigator responded, still looking through the telescope, "No one we know, or even heard of, but their ship is huge!"

Luffy quit bouncing around at the information and became suddenly disappointed. "Just because a ship is huge doesn't mean they have a big crew, and if they do that's bad for them. It usually means they need a lot of people because they're weak." Luffy grinned at Nami. "Shanks taught me that when I was little. That's why we both have small crews, and even though his ship is way bigger than ours, he doesn't have many more men than we do. In fact, I think our crews are pretty close to the same size, well, as far as the main crew goes, anyways."

"And what about whitebeard?" Zoro asked. "He had a huge crew."

"Yeah, but he broke his crew up into several, much smaller crews. Ace was in charge of one of those smaller crews, called divisions." Luffy laughed boisterously. "It's actually a really good strategy once you're already strong!"

Nami gaped at the captain, and raised a skeptical eyebrow, "don't tell me you actually know something about strategy."

"Of course! How do you think I win any of my fights?"

Nami face-palmed, "well then, Captain. Why don't you strategy us out of this?"

"Nah."

"What do you mean 'nah'?"

Luffy laughed again. "We don't need a strategy this time. They're probably weak-sauce anyways."

Nami's voice raised to a yell, "Even if they are weak, a strategy would still be nice!"

"Too late!" Luffy yelled as the other ship pulled up alongside their own and Nami groaned in despair. "Come on, Zoro! Let's go kick their weak asses!" the rubber captain yelled behind him as he flung himself onto the deck of the other ship. And just like that, the man Zoro had been kissing only moments earlier became the most dangerous man in the world. The swordsman smiled and followed his secretly-smart, adorable, really strong boyfriend and captain into battle.


	7. Home at Last

**This one takes place long after the series will probably end, and it's Luffy returning to his home town with his crew in tow. Also, for the purposes of this fic, the bandit who kidnapped Luffy who was eaten by the sea king, yeah, remember him? He's alive. Just for the purpose of creating the same basic situation. It's kinda cheesy, and it's only to play with how Luffy would react in that situation now that he is in Shank's position. Happy Reading! ~HeartQueenVivaldi**

Home at Last

Luffy laughed loudly as he swung from the ship to run up through the town and straight to the bar Makino owned and worked in. As he swung the doors open his smile got impossibly bigger. He was home, finally.

The rest of the crew followed as quickly as they could, excited to see the place their captain grew up. It had been eleven years since they started their journey in the East Blue and coming back almost felt like a new beginning for the Straw Hat pirates.

They entered the bar Luffy had gone into to see Luffy hugging a woman, whom they assumed was Makino. Luffy had talked highly of her as they approached the island, and the rest of the crew were anxious to meet her. She smiled at them and pried Luffy off of her, offering them all sake, much to Zoro's delight.

They ate and drank merrily that afternoon, listening to Luffy and Makino tell stories. Luffy hadn't talked much about his upbringing to the crew unless they asked, or it pertained to a particular situation, like when Ace and Sabo came around, so they were all very glad to learn more about their captain.

A few hours after their arrival their merry-making was interrupted by someone else entering the bar: a giant woman with bright orange hair and a cigarette clenched between her teeth. Luffy turned to see who had entered the bar, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Dadan!" He exclaimed excitedly, but he didn't approach the woman to hug her like he had done with Makino. "Guys, this is Dadan. She raised me and Ace, oh and Sabo, too."

"Luffy!" The woman practically yelled. "I'm so glad you're okay! But it's not like I missed you or anything, you damn brat." The woman had tears streaming down her face at the sight of Luffy, which totally contradicted her words.

Luffy just laughed at her and went back to eating. Dadan sat close by. Makino couldn't help but be reminded of Shanks and his crew. Luffy and his crew were so much like them.

After eating and drinking for hours in celebration of returning home, Luffy finally sat back, patting his bulging stomach, finally full. A few minutes later a whole mess of mountain bandits shuffled into the bar, requesting Sake. Luffy realized who they were, and he smirked. This was the bandit that had harassed Shanks over twenty years ago.

Makino told them that she was all out of sake, and the situation became Déjà vu. The bandits became angry, yelling at Makino, and calling her names. It appeared that these bandits had only become more violent in these twenty years. Luffy stood to tell them to back off, but the leader, the same man who kidnapped him and was nearly killed by the sea king, turned at yelled right into Luffy's face.

When the two finally made eye contact, Luffy saw recognition pass behind his eyes. "Ah," the bandit said, "You're that brat I tried to kill almost twenty years ago. Back for more, you little wimp?" He spit in Luffy's face, and the rubber man just sighed, wiping it off with the sleeve of his shirt. "That red-haired guy isn't here to save you this time, you know!"

Luffy's expression stayed blank and he said, "I can take care of myself now. I don't need him anymore, but I don't want to start anything. Just walk away."

The man turned like he was going to leave but turned back quickly to punch Luffy right in the nose. And even though Luffy knew it was coming, he didn't bother to dodge or block the punch. The bandit just laughed. "You can take care of yourself, huh? Then how did that just happen? I've got a 10 million berry bounty you know. It went up since the last time. You better watch your back. In fact, for your smart mouth, I think I'm going to take the pretty girl with me. The man grabbed Makino by the arm and dragged her away toward the door.

Luffy's eyes shadowed over, and the crew tensed, preparing to fight with their captain. Luffy held up a hand. "No." he said firmly. "he's mine." The crew relaxed their stances, doing as their captain ordered.

The bandit laughed annoyingly, "What are you talking about? You couldn't even dodge one punch!" He started to drag Makino away again, "Come on, sweetie."

Luffy ran after him, and Nami spoke quietly to Zoro, who was sipping on the last of his sake next to her. "How do we keep getting into these situations?"

Zoro shrugged, "eleven years of friendship and I still don't know."

They followed Luffy outside, just to see how Luffy would handle this specific situation. The captain yelled at the man to stop, and when he did, Luffy was right behind him. The bandit pulled a gun and shot at Luffy consistently. The pirate dodged each bullet with ease until the gun was completely empty. Luffy surged forward and his fist connected solidly with the bandit's gut. The bandit sputtered and let go of Makino, who ran to stand by Nami and Robin. The crew were watching their captain, unconcerned for him. He had taken on far worse guys than this idiot.

Luffy hit the man one more time, and he fell to the ground, doubled over. Luffy stood over him and spoke quietly. "I could have stopped you without ever having to touch you, but that was far more satisfying. A bounty of 10 million berries is nothing but a joke where I've just come from. That's pocket change. It's pathetic. Maybe you should pick up a newspaper and read it before you pick fights. If you had, you would know better than to mess with the kind of the pirates or any of his friends."

"King of the pirates?" The man looked up at Luffy from his place at his feet.

"Yeah. You're looking at him." Luffy crouched down. "You messed with the wrong guy. You can insult me, spit on me, or douse me with booze. I can just laugh that stuff off. But if you mess with a friend of mine… well, that changes things, doesn't it?"

The guy looked terrified. He had heard almost the exact same thing over twenty years ago from that red-haired pirate. He decided he would be better off asking forgiveness. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We will leave."

"I think that would be best." Luffy said and stood to walk back to the bar with his friends. The bandit growled in frustration and pulled another gun from the belt of another bandit that was helping him up. He shot three times at the back of Luffy's head in quick succession, and smirked. Little did he know that Luffy had again dodged all three bullets. He turned to look at the bandit over his shoulder. "That doesn't work, so stop trying." He turned back, and the group returned to the bar, and the bandits retreated to the safety of the mountains.


	8. You Don't Have to Love Me

**This little ficlet goes along with Teasing, also known as Chapter 4. It's a sadder version of what could have happened between Zoro and Luffy in the aftermath. Happy Reading... well... or not...**

You Don't Have to Love Me

Luffy and Zoro were up in the crow's nest, standing and facing each other. Both faces set with a hard glare, and Luffy's lip started to tremble the longer they stayed like that, just facing each other down, waiting for the other to give in. Tears started rolling down Luffy's cheeks when he realized that Zoro wasn't going to budge. "Zoro." He said quietly, closing his eyes so he didn't have to see Zoro's angry face directed at him anymore. This was their first real fight as a couple, and Luffy already wasn't taking it well at all.

Zoro sighed at the sight of his distraught boyfriend, and scratched the back of his head. "Luffy, it's not like I don't love you. I just want you to understand."

Luffy's tears flowed faster, and he sobbed once. "It's okay. You don't have to love me."

Zoro gaped at Luffy, and immediately contradicted him, "Hey, I just said that I do love you!"

"Then why are you yelling at me. I don't think I did anything wrong!" Luffy half-whined, half-yelled at the green-haired swordsman.

Zoro groaned. "Luffy, I'm not yelling at you, I'm trying to make you understand my side of what's going on. I want you to understand that this is a serious thing to me. I don't want to play this game anymore." He approached the younger man and rubbed his strong biceps up and down a few times.

Luffy removed his hands from where they were rubbing his eyes, and asked, "What game?"

"You are mine, Luffy. I don't want you, or anyone else, to forget that."

"I know I'm yours. I don't want to be anyone else's. So why would you say that?"

"Luffy, you were flirting with Law today. You led him on to the point where he looked like he would devour you. Then you pissed him off when he found out you were just teasing him." Zoro could still picture Luffy taking hold of Law's hand and sucking on a popsicle in the most vulgar way possible, and Law's facial expressions at the sight. Zoro hated that moment.

"Yeah, but I only did it, so you would pay attention to me. You've been ignoring me lately, and I don't like it." Luffy pouted, and whispered, almost inaudible, "and maybe I kind of like him. Especially since Zoro ignores me. He doesn't love me anymore."

Zoro huffed exasperatedly. "Luffy, I just told you that I do love you. But fine, if you like Law so much, then go get him. And if that's the case then there's no reason for me to be here, or for us to have this argument." Zoro turned to head back down onto the main deck, more upset than he was letting on, and feeling like he might start crying himself if Luffy actually followed through with what Zoro had just told him to do.

Luffy panicked, though, and stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Wait, Zoro. Stop. I didn't mean it. Please don't go."

"It sure seemed like you did, Luffy." Zoro turned back around, and Luffy could see the pain hidden in green eyes.

"But I didn't." Luffy started to tremble from head to toe, afraid that Zoro would turn around and leave.

"Then don't say it, dummy." Zoro turned around fully again to face Luffy. He stepped forward to stand right in front of his younger boyfriend, who had pulled his hat down over his eyes, and still had the brim clenched tightly in his fists.

Even with the hat pulled over the majority of his face, Zoro could still see the fat tears rolling down Luffy's cheeks and dripping off his chin. "Zoro," Luffy sobbed. "I'm sorry. Please, can we just forget about it. I'm really sorry. I won't do it again. I just want my Zoro. Please…"

Zoro sighed, and Luffy started crying even harder, his body trembling, and his chest heaving with heavy sobs. "Okay, okay, but please no more flirting with other people. If you want my attention, all you have to do is ask, okay? And stop crying. Come here." Zoro unclenched Luffy's fists from the brim of his hat and pulled Luffy's arms so they wrapped around his waist. He knocked the straw hat off his head to hang on his back by the string around his neck, and he enclosed his captain in a secure embrace. Luffy buried his face in Zoro's chest and continued to cry, but more from relief now than sorrow. "I love you, Luffy."

"I love you, too, Zoro."


	9. Killing Monsters

**Yes, Luffy is ooc in this one, but I don't care. Bite me. I just wanted Zoro to have a reason to comfort and reassure his cute little boyfriend. Enjoy!**

Killing Monsters

Luffy laid on his back on the bed of the captain's quarters with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling above him. Before he was separated from his crew he never used the captain's quarters for anything, not even his private time with Zoro. He preferred to sleep with his crew in the men's quarters, on both the Merry and Sunny, and he could never wait to have his hands on Zoro long enough to reach the room, so they never ended up there. The Merry only had two rooms anyways, and Nami claimed the captain's quarters for herself. Sunny had enough rooms for the girls to have a room, the men all shared a room, and there was another room that was meant to be captain's quarters. When Franky built the ship, he didn't realize at the time that Luffy wouldn't ever use it, but the rubber man was glad it was there now.

It has only been since they reunited that Luffy has started to use his quarters. He still didn't sleep in there often, only on nights when his nightmares were particularly bad, and he needed to be alone. He also used the room when he was thinking about something or was upset. This instance happened to be that Luffy was worried. His mind raced as he traced the patterns in the wood of the ceiling.

Meanwhile, on deck Franky asked, "Where's Luffy?"

Zoro opened his one good eye, waking up from his light nap at the words. His eye scanned the deck, and at not seeing his captain anywhere, the swordsman stood, sliding his swords back into their spot on his hip. "I'll go find him. I think I know where he might be."

"SUUUUUPER idea, Zoro!" The cyborg struck his signature pose, and watched the swordsman walk away across the deck.

Zoro walked back towards the rear deck but was stopped before he could leave the grassy deck by Chopper and Usopp. "Hey, Zoro! Have you seen Luffy? We want to show him something." Usopp asked.

"I haven't. I was just going to look for him. I'll let him know you are looking for him once I find him." Zoro replied, not too worried about the captain.

It didn't take long to find his captain after that, since Zoro had a pretty good idea of where he would be. He turned out to be right. He found Luffy exactly where he expected to see him. But Zoro also knew that Luffy would only be in here if something was wrong. "What's wrong, Luffy?" Luffy turned his head slightly to look at Zoro, and the swordsman breathed a sigh of relief that there were no tears involved today. But there was a strange look on the captain's face that made Zoro nervous.

"I'm just thinking." Luffy replied, looking back up at the ceiling.

"A dangerous past time." Zoro joked, and thankfully, Luffy scoffed at the jest.

"You always say that, Zoro." Luffy chuckled a little.

"That's because it's true, especially for you." Zoro joked again, approaching the bed to sit next to Luffy. "Now really, what's going through your head? What are you thinking about?"

Luffy sighed, finally sitting up and looking at Zoro. "I'm just wondering, can you kill a monster without becoming one?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. This was a new one. "What are you talking about."

Luffy leaned back against the headboard, and signaled Zoro to join him there. Once Zoro was settled, Luffy readjusted himself to lounge against Zoro's chest comfortably with his legs tangled with Zoro's. Once they were settled, he launched into his explanation. "It's about Blackbeard. Teach. The guy who captured Ace and turned him into the marines for a spot in the seven warlords. I know I'm going to have to face him again eventually, and that I will have to fight him. He's a monster, a real one, causing problems for everyone, including the Navy, Revolutionary Army, and other pirate crews. Even innocent civilians are affected by him. I hate him more than I though I was capable of hating one person.

"I've faced a lot of terrible people, especially since coming to the New World, and even the Grand Line. Crocodile, Hordy, Eneru, even Doflamingo, but none of them compare to Marshall D. Teach. I will have to face him, and when I do, I know I'm going to have to kill him. Most of the other people I've fought I've been able to leave them alive, and not have to worry about them coming after me again. But not Teach. He will never stop. He will never give up. So, I ask again, can you kill a monster without becoming one?"

Zoro listened patiently as always, taking in all of Luffy's worries and inquiries. When he was sure Luffy was done talking he answered. "I don't think killing him will make you anything like him. I don't think you are remotely capable of some of the things he does, even if you wanted to."

"But isn't the whole reason everyone hates him because he kills people? So how would I be any better. In order to defeat the monster, I must become one myself?" Luffy looked back and up at Zoro, looking truly worried about this.

"You are better than him. By killing him you will be saving a lot of people from a far worse fate, especially if he were to ever become the king of the pirates somehow. He would become unstoppable. You will make a much better pirate king."

Luffy looked kind of skeptical and turned back around to lean against Zoro again. "Okay, but say that's true, and I won't be worse for killing him, when I do face him, I have no idea how I'm going to stand a chance against him. He has two of the most powerful devil fruits I've ever seen, and one of them cancels out devil fruit powers, absorbs them like they were never there in the first place. That's how he caught Ace, and Ace was so strong."

"Yes, but Ace relied almost completely on his Devil Fruit Powers. You aren't like that. I've seen you strategize, and think through your fights. You use Haki, and not only that, but the conqueror's spirit.

"Ace had conqueror's Haki, too."

"But he ultimately still relied on his devil fruit."

"I do, too. When do you ever see me fight without it?"

"No, you don't. I watched you take out Zed with minimal use of your powers. You used mainly Haki in that fight, especially towards the end. Not many others could have done what you did that day."

"Really?" Luffy asked, still uncertain.

"Yes, really." Zoro kissed the top of Luffy's head. "I believe in you, and I trust you, Luffy. You'll figure it out. You probably won't have to do it alone, either. You have Law, and you have a whole fleet at your command, even if you don't accept that. We also haven't seen Shanks yet. If we see him, you can ask for help. I'm almost certain, if he's as good of a guy as you say he is, that he is as appalled by Teach as we are. Not to mention, you have your crew, who are all very strong, and highly capable. You won't have to do it alone."

Luffy smiled at the thought of Shanks. "Yeah, I guess that's true. It would be fun to fight alongside Shanks, too."

"There you go." Zoro pulled Luffy's chin up and kissed him chastely on the lips. "By the way, Usopp and Chopper were looking for you.

And just like that, Luffy was back to his usual self, bounding out the door and onto the deck to find Chopper and Usopp, worries forgotten for the moment, but Zoro was almost sure they would return soon enough. After all, the burden of a captain is a heavy one.


End file.
